BELFAST, Northern Ireland – International weapons inspectors have supervised the full disarmament of the outlawed Irish Republican Army (search), a long-sought goal of Northern Ireland's peace process, an aide said Sunday.
The IRA permitted two independent witnesses, including a Methodist minister and a Roman Catholic priest close to Sinn Fein (search) leader Gerry Adams, to view the secret disarmament work conducted by officials from Canada, Finland and the United States, the aide said on condition of anonymity.
The office of John de Chastelain, a retired Canadian general who in recent weeks has been in secret locations overseeing the weapons destruction, scheduled a Monday news conference in Belfast.
An aide said the news conference would detail the scrapping of many tons of IRA weaponry.